The Colombia Solidarity Campaign is very sad to have to report the murder of another student at the University of Valle - Julian Andres Hurtado Castillo.

As you may remember, a Colombia Solidarity Campaign delegation of students and academics was present in the University of Valle on 22 Sept last year and witnessed police violence against the student community prior to the
killing of the student Jhonny Silva by police later that day.

On 22 Sept this year, the Truth Commission that was convened by human rights organisations to investigate Jhonny?s murder presented its preliminary report in an event at which representatives of Colombia Solidarity also
presented the findings of the delegation.

Now, a few weeks later, Julian, one of the student members of the Truth Commission, has been shot dead by paramilitary sicarios near his home. Here follows the report from local
human rights defenders:

The Foundation Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners (FCSPP), Valle del Cauca Branch denounce before national and international public opinion and governmental and non-governmental human rights organizations, the vile and cowardly murder of University of Valle Student ANDRES JULIAN HURTADO CASTILLO.

This event occurred shortly before the publication of the
final report of the interinstitutional truth commission into the events of 22 September 2005, when the student JHONNY SILVA ARANGUREN was killed at the hands of ESMAD (the Colombian riot police). A month ago the student
community commemorated his murder in a dignified way.

FACTS

At midnight on 4 October 2005, when Julian was entering his home in the Las Granjas district of Cali, two sicarios (hired killers) - one man and one woman - fired a fatal shot at the young man?s head. The killers were on foot but used a public car for their escape. The taxi driver who had just dropped Julian in front of his house took him to the Carlos Carmona hospital in the Mariano Ramos barrio. From there he was moved to the University of Valle Hospital, where he was declared brain dead. This morning, 5 October 2006, the doctors and his family announced his death.

JULIAN ANDRES HURTADO CASTILLO was 29 years old and was two weeks away from graduating in Prehospital Attention. He worked as a paramedic in the University Hospital and was an active member of the University of Valle?s student council, as well as being an activist with the Polo Democratico
Alternativo. In the context of his activities as a representative of the Student Council, he participated actively in the investigation of the case of the murder of the student Jhonny Silva on 22 Sept 2005 and in the
denouncement of the impunity in which this case remains.

The FCSPP condemns this murder, as well as the persecution and stigmatization of those men and women who struggle for truth, justice and integral reparation for victims in a country where the social and collective life of communities and public universities has been increasingly penetrated
by paramilitaries.

We demand that the organs under State control investigate this murder and devote themselves to finding the material and intellectual authors of this crime.

We reiterate our call for Truth and Justice for the murders of students in the University of Valle and to continue in the struggle against the systematic impunity in the region.

We urge the national and international community, institutions, governmental and non-governmental human rights organizations to embrace the University of Valle student community with solidarity and accompaniment in their pursuit of Truth, Justice and Integral Reparation. We also urge the respect of life, physical integrity and human dignity be guaranteed to those who participate in the construction of a new country.

Featured

London Mining Network

The London Mining Network (LMN) is an alliance of human rights, development and environmental groups. We pledge to expose the role of companies, funders and government in the promotion of unacceptable mining projects.